Towa no Quon: Strange
by Kabaneri
Summary: A fiction I thought of one day as I was waiting the bus. It's nothing special but I decided to upload it. I know I have other stories but with all the school work I could write for a limited time, plus I need time for myself too. To those following my other stories, sorry but I can't help myself sometimes! I will try and post a new chapter of one of them.


**Towa no Quon: Stranger**

It was night, it was cold, the grass and streets were wet and slippery from the rait that fell during the previous few days. In Tokyo the streets were usualy well-lit and had people even at this unholy hour of the night but they were now almost devoid of people. The reason? The area has been surrounded and cut-off by police cars. Copters, armoured vehicles and armed soldiers were searching the area. Two people were running through the smaller streets, desperately trying to escape.

A young boy, no older than 14 with black hair and eyes, freckles and a tanned face was holding the hand of the other person in a death grip. The other person looked similar to the boy with the exception of her hair being slightly lighter, passing for a dark brown, the lack of freckles and looking around 18. She had almost unnoticable bags under her eyes. She was his sister.

They were running because of the boy. Unless you looked for it, you wouldn't notice the purpleish scale-like pattern creeping up his neck, it was well-hidden by his shirt's high collar. Around 20-30 minutes ago he had suddenly glowed while his sister was making bento for tomorrow. Then the copters and armored cars approached. She grabbed him and they escaped from the window, which was no easy feat. She had landed roughly and her knee was still bleeding. The boy was also worried, he noticed how she would grimace whenever she put even a bit more weight on her right leg.

"Nnee-chan! Stop! Leave me and go! It's because I'm a freak that they came! You can escape."

She abruptly stopped, they had reached one of the bridges. If they continued, there was almost 100% chance they'd be seen and going back wasn't an option. She looked at him with a gentle smile gracing her face.

"Please don't say such things. Nee-chan promised you, righ? And I plan to protect you no matter what."

She hugged him and suddenly hauled him up. She then made a dash for it and jumped over the bridge's rails into the water below. It was good because it wasn't too deep to drown but it was bad because it had many rocks and trash on the bottom. Even though she tried to protect him, he still got bruised by some sharper rocks and cut by something. They went down the current and arrived at some park. She dragged them out with a lot of effort and he coughed, gasping for air.

"Nnee-chan!" he gasped as he saw her, bruised, scraped, cut and her left hand hanging at an awkward angle. "Your arm! Aare you fine?"

The sound of copters and engines interrupted them. She shot up on her legs, almost falling due to the pain in her ankle.

"Come on!"

She pulled him and they both ran, as fast as she could with her condition. The sound of engines was getting uncomfortably close.

'Damn! What's sould I do?!'

Vrrrrrrrrrrm! A motorbike appeared out of nowhere, it's tire almost hitting the boy's head. Another 4 also appear and start to circle them. They try to escape but is futile. The bikes transform into people with weapons. A tall and muscular one charges at them, she tries to do something but he bats her away with a strong hit to the head.

'What the heck?! Is this guy made of metal?!' - she thinks as she tries to raise up to her feet.

With a horror-stricken face she sees them gang on her little brother and attack him. He screams and curls into a ball, a familiar reaction to her, he has donr this every time he was scared after THAT day. The unexpected thing is when a purple aura errupts out of him and hits the four people. Suddenly their bikes look like they have a mind of their own and zoom away without a warning, forcing the people to jump off them. This however gave the boy some time to compose himself. he tried to reach his sister but was stopped by a strong hit in his chest. He coughed, winded and in pain, the electric shock not helping at all.

"Damn monster!" - some armed man had reached him.

With hate he hit the boy's legs multiple times before being batted away by some weird shark-like creatire. Another female figure appeared and was going to take the boy but he gripped her.

"Pplease, help nee-chan..." - he said in tears, weakly pointing at her.

Before fainting she saw the woman walk towards her as the shark dude fighting the others. After that she fainted.

...

With a gasp the girl sits up. She looks around and sees she's in a hospital bed. She looks around and as she sees her brother on the bed next to her, she calms down.

"I see you are awake."

"Who are you?" - she asks the boy that came in.

"My names Quon, what's yours?"

"I'm Shoko, Mikami Shoko. And, if you don't know already, this is my little brother Yuto."

"Nice to meet you. How are you feeling, you were pretty beat up?"

"I'm feeling quite well, considering what happened. Can you tell me what was that last night? Before fainting I remember some masked chick and a shark dude save us from the bad guys."

"Heh, bad guys?"

"Of course! We've done nothing bad and they still chased us. I guess it's because of whatever happened to Yuto." - she shoots him a questioning look.

"You are right. They are hunting us. They may say it's to keep the peace but they're just killing innocents." - Quon says, frowning.

"I understand. And what exactly ARE you?"

"We are Attractors. Each one of us has awakened a special power and is thus hunted. They have some sort of devices to track Attractors and when they use their powers. We have devices that hide us, on the other hand. Your brother is also one of us, not that he's awakened."

"I see..." - she looks down at her lap, shadow cast over her eyes by her hair.

"I understand it's har-"

"I won't leave him..."

"What?" - he was surprised by her interruption.

"I won't leave him! I know you're trying to protect yourself, and taking me to your base also means a lot. I am thankful for that! But... he's my little brother, whatever you say, I can't leave him alone! Not after THAT! Please! I want to stay here with him." - she pleaded but with a determined look on her face.

Quon just miled, reassuring her.

"No problem, you can stay as long as you want. You are family, after all, and family should be cherished." - with a sadness in his voice he answered.

Quon was about to leave but stopped and looked at her for one last time.

"If you need something, just use the call button. Someone will come to help you."

She nodded and he left.

"What shall I do now..." - Shoko whispered to herself.

She sighed tiredly after a while and laid down in the bed, staring at nothing.

...

Yuto woke up with a quiet whimmer. All his limbs were stiff or hurt, he could feel small jolts of pain with each breath from his chest. He looked around, seeing no one else he got worried. He then noticed a curtain, there was some movement from there.

"Wwho's there!"

A muffled and unclear voice answered him.

" _Mikami Yuto?"_

"Yyes...where am I? Where's nee-chan?!"

 _"It's very unfortunate but you've been asleep for a year."_

"A YEAR!? Bbut..."

 _"Your injuries were too severe and many operations had to be done. Your sister had to make a great sacrifice for you to get better."_

"Nee-chan! What happened to her?! Where is she? Is she fine?"

 _"She's alive, alright? But it's such a shame, such a nice girl..."_ Yuto held his breath, cold sweat on his back _"...she would never be eble to play the bongos agaiiiiiin~"_

With a realization he scpwled and his face became red.

"Nee-chan! Cut it OUT! ouch"

From behind the curtain emerged Shoko, fixing the sling on her broken arm. She hopped to a walking stick and then headed towards him. She was snickering all the time.

"S-ssorry! It's just I couldn't help myself. You know I've always wanted to tell one of my future patients this joke."

He also laughed a bit but the atmosphere hot a bit gloomy.

"Sorry..."

"No need to be sorry Yu-chi! I'm the big sister, right? I should be sorry I didn't keep a nail bat at home in case of emergency. Otherwise I would have turned those tin-cans into scrap metal!" - she made swinging motion with her walking stick.

"Hehe...But, are you really fine? You were hurt so bad because of me..." - he looked down, unable to look her in the eyes.

"Of course! I may be a bit banged up but this is nothing! Your nee-san is super tough, ya know!" - she winked at him.

"I'm serious! What exactly happened? Where are we?"

"Well..." she sat on the bed on his left "We were rescued by these nice mutants and brought here. You were knocked out for the past two days, I was worried, you know. Midori-san assured me it was normal to sleep so much, in fact she was surprised I burned through the meds so quickly!"

"Only you can joke like that in such situation."

"I'm tryin to lighten the mood a bit! Gosh, ever since you became a teen, you've been SO moody! Where's my cute lil bro that would snuggle with me at night?"

He became red as a tomato but before he could say anything, a woman in a lab coat entered.

"Ah, Yuto, this is Midori-san. She's the one taking care of us."

"Nnice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." she smiled kindly "Now that you're awake, let's chack you and if it's fine, maybe we can get you on a wheelchair and get you outside for a bit."

She started checking him over, using some machines here and there, asking him questions and etc.

"Where exactly are we? Some secret base or something?" - he asked.

His sister snickered in her hand. He pouted and jolted as a jolt of pain hit him.

"Not...hehe...not exactly a secret base but..." she teased him there "It's a special place and you'll like it! I don't plan to ruin the surprise."

"OK. You are fairy well. You'd need to use a wheelchair because of your broken legs, also don't strain yourself. Two of your ribs are cracked. But...a bit out of this room won't be too bad. Put this on, please. It'll help you control your powers." - she gave him a watch and he put it on.

She and Shoko helped him into a wheelchair. After that Midori pushed it as Shoko followed close. She was limping, obviously she wasn't used to the walking stick quite yet. A set of heavy metal doors opened to reveal one of the things Yuto wanted to see most. Fantasium garden. His eyes shone as he watched with wonder. He wanted to come here with his sister for a long time but they always lacked money and couldn't afford tickets. And now they were here, although due to other circumstances, they had still come.

"This will be your new home. There are others like you here. You'll be able to control your powers soon." - Midori assured him as she pushed the wheelchair.

"And my sister? What'll happen to her? Does she also have some powers? Can she stay?"

"No, she doesn't have any powers, only you have." he sulked for a moment "But she can stay with you for as long as she wants. Quon said she could, so it's fine!"

he was relieved and turned around to see his sister falling face first into two crepes she had aparently bought. She had lost her balance while trying to carry them both in one hand. He laughed as she stood up, face caked in fruit and cream. She also laughed sheepishly.

...

A week had passed since Yuto woke up. His ribs were almost done healing and his legs didn't hurt when he moved them even the slightest. Shoko was also doing great, her broken arm would take at least a month or two to heal but the good news was that she didn't need the walking stick anymore. Now she only had a tight bandage over her ankle and could walk without pain.

During the past week she had talked with Quon and he agreed to allow her to work here in order to not be a 'freeloader'. Her words, not Quon's. During that time he noticed how some of the other kids look at her with suspicion and distrust, sometimes whispering behind her back. He understood their circumstances. What happened to them all wasn't nice but it angered him that they didn't see how nice his sister was.

They also discovered what his power was. He could animate inamimate objects. For a short span of time he could bring them to life and even give them personalities. His maximum time was 3 minutes but he worked on improving it.

One day he was moving down the hallway and heard a few kids his age whisper.

"...she be here?!"

"Isn't she a normal person?"

"Aren't Midori-nee and Seiji-san without powers too?"

"Yyeah, it's true but she just appeared and is now everywhere. It creeps me out! The other day I was feeding the animals when they suddenly ran away in panic and she was there! She looked at me strangely and continued on."

"Ddo you think she plans to report us to the bad guys?"

At this point Yuto couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"Shut up!"

They were startled at the volume of his voice.

"Don't talk about Nee-chan like that! She's the kindest, most caring and loving person there could be! She even took care of me, giving up her dreams to do so!"

After that he started ranting. He couldn't understand why he was telling them his story, even though even those kids in schoul couldn't make him tell them. Unknowingly to them Tei and Yuri were just behind the corner.

===Yuto's story===

They were a happy family of four, he, his sister, mother and father. They weren't rich but still lived well. His big sister was studying for a doctor. It was just her last year in highschool, after that she was going to move out and go to college. They were all happy with her.

Midway through November his dad got a promotion, so they decided to go on the trip to China they always wanted. During the winter holidays they took a flight there. It went great for the duration of the trip, it was like nothing could ruin it. Then, the last day before they had to catch the plane back to Japan they decided to visit some temple high up in the mountains. On the way back their bus stopped for a break on the side of the road. he had went to the toilet, his parents waiting near the bus, drinking coffe. Suddenly there was a loud rumble, crashes and screams. The moment he looked out he saw a great amount of rocks and broken trees had fallen on the road, completely crushing the bus. His parents and sister were nowhere in sight. He was one of the lucku ones that were far away to not get hurt. After that it was a blur. He waited and waited. Even after the rescuers came and started clearing the road and recovering the bodies, he waited for his parents and sister.

It was a disaster, there were 40 pasengers, only 4 were left. The bodies of the others were pulled out one by one. His parents were among them. He started crying, thinking his sister was also among the dead.

"Hey! There's someone alive here!" - one of the rescuers called.

After a while they pulled his sister out. She was scraped and bruised but otherwise alive and fine. He was overjoyed and clung to her, crying himself to sleep.

They returned to Japan soon after and a funreal was held. Their relatives had gathered to discuss who'd take them. Everyone was making some sort of excuse to not take them. Not wanting to have two extra mouths to feed. There was no illusion that they could be separated. In the end his sister stood up and looked at them, straight in the eyes.

"FINE! If you don't want to, I'll take care ot Yuto! I turned 18 last month, so it's fine! If that's all you want to say, we'll be leaving this room. Come Yuto."

After that she kept her word. After finishing highschool she started working two part-time jobs because one wasn't enough. She made sure he was fine and happy. She would work till late night some days but would still make him bento, even at 1 at night. She even jumped with him to protect him and tried to fight the cyborgs off, knowing she had no chance of winning

===end story===

Everyone was quiet. The other kids didn't know what to say, so the left, heading towards the medical ward. Meanwhile Tei and Yuri hid even more and looked at eachother. Not a word was uttered but now they understood.

Both of them had wondered what was Shoko's reason for staying. Usually every other relative of the new Attractors neither loved them in the first place or readyly gave them tu CUSTOS. It was indeed unusual.

Yuri was suspicious of her, thinking she had some ulterior motives or was secretly an Attractor. After all: "There's NO way a 22, almost 23 year old can look like a highschooler!" . Tei on the other hand accepted Quon's decision but was also curious herself. Now they knew just how much she loved her brother, to sacrifice not only her future, but even safety and life for him. She indeed loved him and he returned the feeling. They decided to help her with whatever they could.

...

Two more weeks passed and Shoko's cast was finally removed. She still had to wear light support untill it's fully done healing. Meanwhile Yuto's ribs were completely healed, all that was left was for his legs to heal and get him walking again.

Shoko's work also went well. She was now looking after the flower gardens and sometimes booths. During weekends she would study and hang out with the others and her brother. At some time they had decided to have her help with the animals but none of them liked her, in fact they ran away as soon as they saw her approaching. One time a cat scratched Seiji when he passed too close to Shoko while holding it. No one could explain this, even her brother, so she was never made to help with the animals. She looked very heartbroken at this. She liked the big cherry and would often stay there, just sitting and relaxing.

"I'm amazed how fast she healed. I estimated two monts of recovery for her but in inder a month her arm is mostly healed. By the end of the month I bet she'd be as good as new." - Midori said as she took a sip from her mug.

She was sitting on a table in the medical ward, Seiji and Quon sitting with her, also drinking tea. On her computer was the file of Yuto and his info.

"Yeah, she is an interesting person. She also dearly loves her brother. Such a nice sister, I'm kinda envious." - Quon laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah, she's also a hard worker. But boy, wasn't it a surprise when she decided to stay!" - Seiji said.

"Yeah, she literally burned through all the sleeping meds I decided to give her! She was up in a day! She should have been out for at least a few days." - Midori mused.

A knock was heard from the door.

"Enter." - Midori.

"Sorry to intrude." - it was Shoko.

"Oh, Shoko. What is it? is there some problem?" - Quon asked.

"No, but...well..."

"Tell us what it is. We'll help if we could." - Seiji assured.

"I was wondering if we could go to our apartment? The rent is due in a week and we don't plan to go back, so I wanted, if possible, to go back and take some things. Like clothes, savings, family albums..." - she asked, clearly uneasy about it.

"It doesn't hurt to try." - Quon said.

"Huh?" - everyone else exclaimed at the same time.

"You've worked really hard and I understand what you've been through. I can bring you to your apartment and if it's safe, you can take some things."

"THANK YOU!" - she continuously bowed.

The next night Quon and Shoko headed towards her apartment. She was nervous and had put on a cap, sunglasses, a facemask and a hoodie, hood up and all.

"Haha. There's no need to be so nervoust. It's late and unlikely for someone to see you so it's fine." - Quon smiled at her.

"Yeah, I know! But I can't be sure. What is a camera or one of these robot people catches a glimpse of me?! They'd chase me in order to get to Yuto and to you as well!" - she said as she pulled the hood even lower.

"You may be right...Let's go."

Quon helped her as she led him towards the apartment complex. When they arrived he told her to wait and he went to check if it was safe. No one was there, neither did the apartment look like it was searched through. He called her over. There was some dust but otherwise nothing else. She quickly took a duffel bag out and stuffed some clothes in, a photo album, a stuffed frog and a can from which the sound of coins could be heard. The last thing she put in was a photo of her, her brother and parents that was on a small bedside table.

"Your family picture?" - he inquired.

"Yes, the last one. It was taken 4 years ago when we arrived in China."

"I see..." - he said nothing else as they went out.

They walked like that for a few more minutes. Suddenly Quon stopped, Shoko almost bumping into him.

"Is something wrong?" - she asks.

"I'm sorry but Tei just contacted me. There's a new Attractor awakening. It's near here, in this block, so I'm going. You can go back on your own, right?"

"Yes, no problem!"

He ran down the street and transformed. She was awed but continued down the streed. At least that was the plan.

...

Shoko was in the hospital wing again, this time due to dislocated shoulder. Midori was scolding her for being too reckless and not thinking.

"I had to do it!" - it was her only answer before screaming in pain when her shoulder was put in place.

She was supposed to return as fast as possible while Quon and Yuri saved the new Attractor, a teenage boy with the power to create platforms and walk on them. Things changed when the boy had somehow decided to run in her direction in his panic. At some point he lost concentration and fell down. Shoko saw that and decided it was a good idea to catch him. It resulted in her dislocated shoulder, a pleeding scrape and her almost falling off a bridge. Lucky her Yuri was there to see it happen and pull them both up before they both pummeled down. The boy was currently asleep on the bef to their left. He was also hurt and had a dislocated shoulder.

Her brother had heard what happened the next morning and also scolded her.

"You are too irresponsible sometimes nee-chan! Think a bit for your own safety!"

It was quite funny seeing a young adult being scolded by a teen. After that incident the other kisd started to trust her even more and opened up to her more. They soon realised she was really funny and kind, she could also make a fun and educational game out of almost anything. A few examples of that was the "Trash hauling competition". One weekend when the time to clean up the park came, she organised every child in groups of four and made a fun game out of the cleaning. She assigned points to each type of trash they picked up and promised the team that won 1st place would have first dibs and bigger pieces from the cake. They were finished in less than 4 hours. The kids were happy and could sleep well during the night, they also enjoyed the 'bigger' pieces of cake, even though they were the same size as the others.

Hayame, the new boy, was also getting used to the place. He was thankful but had too much on his mind and didn't share what was bugging him with anyone.

'This can't end well.' - Seiji thought.

...

Yuto was finally healed. He was undergoing a rehabilitation and could walk without any support now. He would still get tired easyly due to lack of exercise but was progressing realy well. His lessons with Yuri were also going well. He could use his powers for 15 minutes now.

Hayame on the other hand was even more moody and rash. He has been having trouble sleeping and was isolating himself. Shoko was determined to help him, so she tried to get close to him, to just make him talk, to show him there was a shoulder to cry on. It worked, somewhat...Every time it looked like he would share, she would clamp up and not talk for the entire day.

"No prob! I'll make something to sheer everyone up! Also, your 15th birthday is in 3 days, so I'll go out and buy some stuff!" - she smiled.

"Wait! It's that time already?! God, I have completely forgotten about it!"

She hit him jokingly on the shoulder.

"How can you forget your own burthday silly!? It may be OK to forget your aunt's birthday but yours? NEVAH!" - she took her shopping bag as she headed out.

'I'm glad she's fine but why do I feel empty inside right now. It's like there's a hole that's sucking all the happiness out of me... She has really changed these few years. She became so much more caring and self-sacrificing. I sometimes feel she'll go out one day and never come back. No! Don't think such things! She's always kept her promises and she'll come back!' - Yuto thought.

Meanwhile...

"Hayame-kun. Have you finished dressing up? I've come to check you..." Midori said as she entered the room "...up. Hayame?!" - she looked everywhere but he wasn't there.

She caught a glimmer and bent down, it was one of the devices they gave every new arrival. It was Hayame's by how new it was.

"Oh, no..." - she ran out of the room while calling Quon on the phone.

[Midori-san? What's up?]

"Quon, it's terrible! Hayame's gone and his device is here!"

[What?! We didn't detect anything.]

"It must be because his powers are currenly inactive. We have to find him before he accidentally uses his Platform Creation and CUSTOS gets to him!"

[Got it! I'll head out, you go and inform Tei and the others!] - he hung up.

'That boy, I hope he's well because I'll have to scold him well when he comes back!' - she thought.

...

Ding! - the automatic doors of a shop open.

"Shalalalalala! I wanna be your knight...I wanna be your light..." - Shoko sang quietly to herself.

She exited the shop, her shopping bag full of stuff for Yuto's birthday. She had a hour or so untill she should get back, so she decided to have some alone time.

'Maybe I can go to that new shop in the centre? They had some good stuff there from what I've heard.'

She walked down the street, still humming happily.

...

Hayame was running. He had snuck out while no one was watching. He just wanted to go out and hang out in the usual plach he did, an old arcade full of retro games. In his haste he had aparently forgotten the watch or whatever device that helped him control his powers and not be detected.

He was running and accidentally slipped, he was about to fall and had made a platform without thinking. He panicked and it led to his current predicament. He was running away from those cyborgs again. This time on the streets instead of the rooftops. He was somewhere near the city centre but he didn't know where exactly.

'If only there was something...oh!'

He noticed a familiar building, not like he has been there but had seen in many times on the TV. It was a newly-opened supermarket for all sorts of raw fish and other meats. They could even butcher you the piece you want on spot. "Bonniev's butchery and seafood market! Get it fresh, get it here!" - that's what the ad said. From here he knew where to go.

Click!

He looked back and saw one of the cyborgs aim a strange gun at him and shoot a beam.

"Waaaah!" - he flailed due to panic.

As he did so Hayame created another platform. Unlike his usual white ones, this one was yellow and bigger. The beam and platform colided and as if it hit a spring, the beam was shot back at the cyborgs. That bought him some time but the blast made him stumble. He fell face first on someone. He groaned as he sat up.

"It's you! Shoko/Hayame-kun! What are you doing here?" - they asked at the same time.

"I'm being chased by the damn cyborgs! Why haven't you evacuated?!" - he asked.

"WHAT?! Then there's no need to chit-chat! Come with me! Quickly!" - she got up on her feet and dragged him by the hand.

Shoko pulled out her phone and called the Garden.

[Seiji here. What's it Shoko-sna?]

"I bumped into Hayame! We're being chased by cyborgs!"

[What?! You met him? Where are you? And did you say you're being chased?]

"Yes, more like he's chased but that's not important! We are running south-east from Bonniev's butchery, down Nishiki street!"

[OK! I'll tell Quon, just keep up for a bit more!] - he closed.

"They'll come! Now all we have to do is hold on!"

Hayame nodded and decided to listen to her. They both ran and hid, trying to loose their chasers but they would always find them. Soon they reached a split path. Neither of them knew which direction to choose but they didn't have time, so they ran in the right street. Soon, however, they were met with a dead end. In front of them was a tall building and a unlocked metal door that served as a passage through it. She saw the street on the other side and the chain. They both were gasping for air but the sound of motorcycles got closer. She ched under her breath.

"I'll buy you some time. You just have to go straight and you'll either reach the Garden or Quon." - she told Hayame.

"What about you! You have to come with me!"

"No can do. Tey'll catch us both that way. Doing this will give you a chance of survival, maybe even time to come and save me." she shoved her shopping bag in his arms "Take this with you. It's for my brother. Don't loose it!"

"Why?! Can't you also come?"

"I can't lock the door from the other side, there are no handles." - she then shoved him inside and closed the door before he could say anything.

He swallowed and decided to lisen to her, praying that she'll be fine. On the other side she locked the door using the chains and an old lock that thankfully still worked. She took a rusty pipe in her hand and braced herself.

'I can pull this off...'

Only two cyborgs showed.

"Alpha, it looks like thare's another obstacle."

"No need to worry Beta. We'll catch that Attractor."

"You won't lay a hand on him!" - she swung the pipe and almost hit Alpha.

He caught the pipe and threw it away from Shoko. Even so she stayed, determined to buy Hayame as much time as she could.

"Isn't this the girl that was together with BE-244?" - Beta asked.

"It's irrelevant for now. Move aside, girl!" - Alpha said.

"No! I won't! You'd have to go through me to get to him!"

"OK then." - Alpha said in a monotone.

Both Beta and Shoko were surprised when he took put his gun and started shooting at her. In a fer seconds her bolldied body fell face first on the pavement. Alpha decided it was not enough, so he shot her one last time in the head.

"Alpha..."

"She was an onbstacle. We have to catch BF-005." - he aimed his gun at the metal door and pulled the trigger again.

A few seconds later the two cyborgs were on their way towards Hayame. Beta stopped for a bit and looked at Shoko's body, pity shown on his face under the helmet. he then also left.

...

Yuri ran and looked for Hayame and Shoko. Tei had informed her Quon was busy fighting 3 of the cyborgs while the other two went after them.

'I hope they're fine.'

She then saw Hayame running, clitching a damiliar shopping bag.

"Hayame-kun!"

"Wah!" - he jumped in fright and fell on the grownd.

"Calm down! Where is Shoko? Is she near?"

"Nno! Sshe told me she'd buy me time and shoved me! Then she locked the door!"

"Damn! I don't have the time." - she lifted him up.

"Wait! What about Shoko?"

"We'll come back for her later! We have to get you to safety first!"

They then disappeared. A minute later CUSTOS lost the signals of both Hayame and Quon.

...

Yuto was in denial. It was just not possible. Shoko, his nee-chan, was dead. After hayame returned with her shopping bag he knew something was wrong. Just a hour ago it was announced she had been shot by one of the cyborgs. He just couldn't accept it.

"Nneeeee-chan! Come back...please...come back...I-I can't loose you too..."

Meanwhile Hayame was also taking the news bad.

"It's my fault...It was my fault she died..."

Everyone that knew her cried, especially the children, she had found a special place in each of their hearts. They asked if it was possible to retrieve her body but it wasn't possible, so they made a symbolical funreal. Quon even planted a sky blue lilium in the garden right next to the sakura tree.

"You'll never be forgotten...Shoko-san. I hope you'd watch over your brother wherever you are right now..."

====Not as it seems====

It was the same alley Shoko was shot...

Her blood was still pouring out, the cyborgs had left just mere minute ago. A certain place in the air, aroung 40 cm off the grownd became distorted. A zipper was pulled up and a portal opened. The upper body of a strange man?, creature? peeked out. he had human shape and build but his 'hair' was actually many thin black feathers, his eyes were purple and bored, fark eyeshadow around them. His arms were scaly and green, green tripes of scaled also addorned his hace. A collar made of gray fur peeked out of his ancient-looking chinese clothes. He was dressed simply but elegantly. He looks at the corpse and snorts.

"How long do you plan to continue acting, Mahyu?"

The corpse suddenly started to twitch and rise up like it was possesed. It looked like a scene in a horror movie, the blood and gore not helping.

"Haha...sorry. :P"

"Whatever..." he looked the 'corpse of Shoko' up and down "If you plan to travel like that, forget our deal! I'm not cleaning after you ever again!"

"Jeez! It was only once!"

The form of Shoko started to twist and shift. The injuries were gone in an instant. From the healthy looking girl, she transformed into a very tall, around 190 and something cm, and lanky woman. Her hair was ditch black, short but wavy, her eyes were yellow on a black sclera, she was ghostly pale and thin, her nails were more like claws. As she smirked you could see her shark-like teeth, as she opened her mouth to yawn, her purple tongue was also visible, if only for a second. Her clothes also changed into a more ancient looking. She had a short top that only teached a bit below her chest, leaving her scarred stomach out in the open, the sleeves were longer and covered her whole arms, accenting that they were longer than standard. She also wore baggy pants and sandals with socks.

"I'm ready. Are you satisfied Cao?"

"Yes. I still can't understand why you go through all these trouble. Pretending to be a human and all. I can't see the point in doing such a thing. Why don't you train instead?"

"Well, the reason is really simple..." she suddenly flashed a psychotic smile at him "I just LOVE humans! How they live, how they feel, their warmth and how they writhe in pain as they die! Gyahahaha!"

"You are strange. You spent years pretending to be someone else for what? For you to 'die' in the end."

"Sigh...You can't blame me Cao, I've never been a big sister untill now. I've been a soldier, caveman, queen, politician, chef and etc, but not a big sister. I saw a chance and said 'Why the F not?'. Alas, it was short but super fun! The way they looked up to me ... aaaaah...it makes me shake from the mere thought! They trusted me with their lives so easyly, even though I could probably kill them all in an instant. Yuto would be very sad about nee-chan dying. Too bad I'm not some caring being but a cruel and crazy demon! HA!"

"Quit with the talking and get in the portal before the cops come, we also have to hurry to get to the Mt. Sinchu's bazaar."

"Hehe...sorry! ;P"

She went into the 'dimensional zipper' and Cao then closed it. When the cops arrived they saw a bloody puddle but no body. They looked all over the place but found nothing. In the end they wrote it off as an unexplainable case and it was quickly forgotten.


End file.
